Mavic Preventive Maintenance

[Former Member]

Got this as a conversation but thought I would share it with other members. Feel free to chime in with your own recommendations as long as they are reasonable and safe.

"Is there is a preventive maintenance plan for my Mavic? I do the normal prop inspection before flight and just a quick look over the body but that is it. Mine in only about a month old but when she gets some age on it I'd rather catch stuff early. Thanks"

Preventive maintenance on a Mavic is pretty much doing what you have been doing. Inspect the props before every flight, make sure they lock into the groove. If they dont lock like they used to, replace the one thats bad.

Maintenance on the battery comes down to storing it at 40-50% charge and dont let it get below freezing or above 110°. You can also deep cycle it every 20 flights by first flying your battery to 15-18% and keep it close to you. Stay on top of your return to home settings and dont let it RTH with low battery level and then land as normal. Let the battery cool, then discharge the battery to no less than 10%. To discharge the battery, power up your Mavic, without the props, then just let it sit. About every five minutes, 1% of the battery is used. Make sure to keep a close eye on the battery level as you get close to 12%. Draining the battery to 0% can damage the cells, so shoot for 10%. After this, let the battery cool again, then you can charge it all the way up. Remember to do this around every 20 flights. That’s all for the deep cycle. (excerpt from David J)

 

[Huge Bama Fan]

Thanks.

 

[Jake 61]

I've not had my MP all that long, but I do get out when the weather permits. (North of Scotland ain't North Carolina, weather wise).
Having the Pro Combo, I have three batteries and these are numbered and rotated to get the best from them. I always take a five minute look over the drone, just to make sure hasn't picked up any damage in transit or storage. Once on and connected, I check my camera settings, remote battery level, satellite coverage and as the North of Scotland is pretty much all, a restricted flying zone due to low level military flights, tick the disclaimer box and take off.
I've had three incidents, all my own fault, first one was trying to take off from the bonnet, (hood), of my Land Rover, noticed the gimbal dome was still attached and it fell off the bonnet while landing and onto the ground.
The second was backwards into some tree foliage and the third, was in my kitchen, MP on, me feathering the throttle to drain the battery to 10% and I went too far and it took off and smacked into a cupboard.
The MP has survived my stupidity, but there are some marks and a couple of really small dings in the top casing. Now I don't know which of the three incidents caused this, but what I am saying is, if I had done that 5 minute check of the drone every time, I would know for sure, so give your pride and joy that check over before you take flight and don't lose the habit of doing it every time it comes out to play.

 

[Pcarlsen]

This is the issue with off-the-shelf products like the Mavic. Preventive maintenance is rather limited as you for one can't really get under the hood of the thing, and second, even if you did, there isn't much you can do.

The problem with a multirotor is that basically every single component is a single-point-of-failure. Meaning, that if you lose a blade on a prop, you crash. Lose an ESC, you crash, lose a motor.. you get the picture. But there isn't much you can really do for these things, that you aren't doing already. You're checking your props, which is a good thing - since props are probably the most common failure mode on the aircraft. But you can't diagnose your ESCs, you can't check the main board, and checking the motors is limited to checking if they spin smoothly.

The story is completely different with a fixed-wing, where much of the components are mechanical.

But however, there are a few things I do - but these are minor. Mostly, they're about keeping the electronics from failing, which would most likely be from two things; moisture and vibration.

-In general, keep the thing clean. Wipe it down if it gets dirty.
-Get some canned air and blow it clean carefully. Keep dirt out of the swing arm joint. Get the dirt out of the innards and keep the air intake (in the front, behind the gimbal/camera assembly) clean also.
-Don't get it wet (duh )
-Don't fly in the fog / clouds
-Always have spare props nearby
-Change the props out of you notice any notches in them. This is for two reasons. One being that a notch can turn into a crack during fatigue loading, two being that a prop out of balance will send vibrations through the motor (wearing the shaft/housing fit or bearing, if there's one) and into the frame - and finally, into the electronics. Failure of a solder joint will not look good for the remaining aircraft.
-Batteries: Keep an eye on the longevity of your batteries. How many cycles they've had and how they're doing with regards to flight time. Unless you've been really cruel to them, they will wear out gradually. This is fine, completely normal for a Li-Ion battery. Hoever, as they get worn out, they will typically get voltage sag. This means that when unloaded (or during light load) the battery will display a 'normal' voltage. However, if your flight style changes (or you fly into headwind, going home again), the voltage will drop drastrically. This can cause confusion as your indicated remaining battery percentage is calculated from the voltage. So if you fly out and turn back around at 60% battery, you could see a 20% drop after heading into head wind. I guess the general advise is to keep focus on how used your batteries are - and planning your flying accordingly - just in case.

BR Peter

 

[facasi]

Got this as a conversation but thought I would share it with other members. Feel free to chime in with your own recommendations as long as they are reasonable and safe.

"Is there is a preventive maintenance plan for my Mavic? I do the normal prop inspection before flight and just a quick look over the body but that is it. Mine in only about a month old but when she gets some age on it I'd rather catch stuff early. Thanks"

Preventive maintenance on a Mavic is pretty much doing what you have been doing. Inspect the props before every flight, make sure they lock into the groove. If they dont lock like they used to, replace the one thats bad.

Maintenance on the battery comes down to storing it at 40-50% charge and dont let it get below freezing or above 110°. You can also deep cycle it every 20 flights by first flying your battery to 15-18% and keep it close to you. Stay on top of your return to home settings and dont let it RTH with low battery level and then land as normal. Let the battery cool, then discharge the battery to no less than 10%. To discharge the battery, power up your Mavic, without the props, then just let it sit. About every five minutes, 1% of the battery is used. Make sure to keep a close eye on the battery level as you get close to 12%. Draining the battery to 0% can damage the cells, so shoot for 10%. After this, let the battery cool again, then you can charge it all the way up. Remember to do this around every 20 flights. That’s all for the deep cycle. (excerpt from David J)

Can I charge the battery to storage level aprox 50% or do I need to do a full charge after discharged to 10% ?

 

[Former Member]

Can I charge the battery to storage level aprox 50% or do I need to do a full charge after discharged to 10% ?

You can charge it back up to 2 or 3 green lights on the battery, whatever represents 50% on your battery. You dont need to fully charge it to 100%.

 

[facasi]

You can charge it back up to 2 or 3 green lights on the battery, whatever represents 50% on your battery. You dont need to fully charge it to 100%.

Thank you [emoji1360]

 

[Echosreaper]

Is there a point that it would be good to replace the full set of props. I know they do not cost a tremendous amount and was thinking about this the other day.

Over time the props do wear and from flying, putting up, to flying again. I have noticed a few dings and dents.

Instead of just replacing one at a time is there ever a point where (as part of regular maintenance) replace the full set. Kind of like an oil change at so many miles on your vehicle.

 

[Former Member]

A few dings and dents arent going to affect flight performance or safety, but a crack can affect lift and make the drone fly abnormally.

To me, it's kind of a no brainer. For $9 a pair, if I see a chip in one, it's going in the trash and getting replaced.

 

[maven4336]

Got this as a conversation but thought I would share it with other members. Feel free to chime in with your own recommendations as long as they are reasonable and safe.

"Is there is a preventive maintenance plan for my Mavic? I do the normal prop inspection before flight and just a quick look over the body but that is it. Mine in only about a month old but when she gets some age on it I'd rather catch stuff early. Thanks"

Preventive maintenance on a Mavic is pretty much doing what you have been doing. Inspect the props before every flight, make sure they lock into the groove. If they dont lock like they used to, replace the one thats bad.

Maintenance on the battery comes down to storing it at 40-50% charge and dont let it get below freezing or above 110°. You can also deep cycle it every 20 flights by first flying your battery to 15-18% and keep it close to you. Stay on top of your return to home settings and dont let it RTH with low battery level and then land as normal. Let the battery cool, then discharge the battery to no less than 10%. To discharge the battery, power up your Mavic, without the props, then just let it sit. About every five minutes, 1% of the battery is used. Make sure to keep a close eye on the battery level as you get close to 12%. Draining the battery to 0% can damage the cells, so shoot for 10%. After this, let the battery cool again, then you can charge it all the way up. Remember to do this around every 20 flights. That’s all for the deep cycle. (excerpt from David J)

1years same props, why take off until you need to replace that way you get a long safe life with your1000$ investment

 

[Former Member]

1years same props, why take off until you need to replace that way you get a long safe life with your1000$ investment

You have owned your Mavic for 1 year and have never once taken the props off? Do you check each prop is tight before you take off?

 

[tictag]

Remember to do this around every 20 flights. That’s all for the deep cycle.

When LiPos first started to become popular, one of their greatest selling points was that they did not need to be deep cycled, like their predecessors NiCd, NiMH etc. Has this changed with newer technology? I've just spent 30 mins googling and the only advice I have come across appears contrary to this, that you should not deep cycle LiPo batteries. The only evidence I could find for deep cycling is when the pack becomes unbalanced and deep cycling on a specialised balance charger might help revive it.

Could you link me to your source for this advice?

In terms of preventative maintenance, pretty similar to other posts: visual inspection, check motor spin, replace damaged props etc. I do like to bring her up to head height and make sure she's stable before I fly. I have on occasionally found a slight drift, usually in yaw, doing this - IMU calibration always fixes. I did used to set the automatic battery discharge setting to 10 days but apparently even storing a lipo for one day in a fully charged state can age it so now I set this to 1 day or 2 days if I know I'm going to fly the following day.

 

[Former Member]

Could you link me to your source for this advice?

Here ya go:

Comprehensive DJI Battery Guide

apparently even storing a lipo for one day in a fully charged state can age it so now I set this to 1 day or 2 days if I know I'm going to fly the following day.

My advice is to new drone owners is to charge before flying. If I charge and then it starts to rain or gets too windy, I find a place and hover the battery back down to storage.

I race RC cars and trucks as well, and same thing goes. If I charge and then dont race, I dont leave the batteries charged overnight. Lipos other than DJI usually dont have the self-discharge feature.

 

[bushie]

In the guide referenced above it includes regular checking

I am shortly going away for 3 montths and leaving my MP at home. No one to check. Planned to just leave the batteries to sedlf discharge. Is this a problem?

 

[Former Member]

In the guide referenced above it includes regular checking

I am shortly going away for 3 montths and leaving my MP at home. No one to check. Planned to just leave the batteries to sedlf discharge. Is this a problem?

I would discharge them to storage before I left for 3 months. They should be fine as long as they are stored in between the recommended temps (f°) of 72 - 77 (22-28°c).

 

[bushie]

I would discharge them to storage before I left for 3 months. They should be fine as long as they are stored in between the recommended temps (f°) of 72 - 77 (22-28°c).

Thanks

That's about our temperature range for winter

 

[ciscokid]

so are you saying the batteries should be stored at 50 percent or less when stored.
and than charge them up just before you go fly. I guess i have been doing it wrong.
when i come back from flying i always fully charge them and than store them.

 

[Former Member]

so are you saying the batteries should be stored at 50 percent or less when stored.
and than charge them up just before you go fly. I guess i have been doing it wrong.
when i come back from flying i always fully charge them and than store them.

I would not fully charge them after you fly. Store at 40-50% if not being used for more than 1 day. Charge before you fly, it doesnt take too long to charge a partially charged battery, max 20-30 minutes.

 

[tictag]

Here ya go:

Comprehensive DJI Battery Guide

I must confess I was a little bemused by this 'deep cycling' advice, I'd always thought this wasn't required for LiPos and by doing so you'd be 'using up' the relatively low number of [charge/discharge] cycle times all LiPos suffer from (e.g. 300-500 compared to 3000-5000 for Gell VRLAs) so I reached out to DJI Tech Support, their response:

"With regards to your inquiry, it is not necessary to re-calibrate the battery every 20 flights or so since we only recommend this if there is an abnormality on the cells of the battery which will be visible in the App."

They instead recommend "Battery Maintenance. 3. Fully charge and discharge the battery at least once every 3 months to maintain battery health." as per page 5 of the Intelligent Flight Battery Safety Guidelines v1.0 available on their website here: https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/mav...lligent+Flight+Battery+Safety+Guides+(EN).pdf

The full email exchange with DJI is attached for information.

 

[Former Member]

by doing so you'd be 'using up' the relatively low number of [charge/discharge] cycle times all LiPos suffer from (e.g. 300-500 compared to 3000-5000 for Gell VRLAs)

I must confess I was a little bemused by this 'deep cycling' advice

A little bemused? Im glad it made your day.

You think 300-500 cycle times is a short life cycle for a battery? I think it is an extraordinarily long life and compares in longevity to Nicad, NIMH and will last longer than most people own their drones. It is also a smart battery, unlike the others you refer to.

For instance, if you own 1 battery and fly once a day, every single day of the year, the OEM battery will last you, in your calculations, more than 18 months. Anyone who flies every day, should not, and usually does not, have only 1 battery. Therefore, the OEM battery will last upwards of 3 years if you fly every single day of the year and own 2 batteries. Do you know anyone who flies every day of the year? I repair drones for a living, and fly 4 times a week. For the average Joe who flies once or twice a week, we are talking about double the time/life and could reach into 5 or 6 years, and longer if the batteries were treated well.

I own "stupid" Lipo batteries for my racing cars and trucks. I have a balance charger for those, and it will detect an abnormal cell during the charge process, show me which one it is, and let me know the anomaly. Some of them are 10 years old and still going strong. They have no smart storage technology, just a smart owner who discharges them when they are not being used.

They instead recommend "Battery Maintenance. 3. Fully charge and discharge the battery at least once every 3 months to maintain battery health." as per page 5 of the Intelligent Flight Battery Safety Guidelines

Apples and oranges. What if you dont fly at all during those 3 months? What if you fly every day during those 3 months? Same rules apply? Not a chance. For safety's sake, deep cycling is a good policy if your battery is being used alot.

Intelligent Flight Battery Safety Guidelines

DJI also gives you the option of letting your fully charged Lipo sit idle for up to 10 days, although we all know some residual drain will occur. I would NEVER let my Lipo sit for even 1 day without discharging it. Talk about shortening the life cycle of your battery, this will do 100 times more damage than a deep discharge.